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Shipping and the Environment

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Shipping and the Environment

Abstract

Humans have always had a close relationship with the aquatic environment, including the early use of the sea for food harvesting and communication. Today, the sea is an important component of the transportation system, with large amounts of cargo and passengers. This chapter provides a short introduction to ships and shipping, focussing primarily on commercial ships; nonetheless, many of the emissions, impacts and measures discussed throughout this book are common to other sectors, such as leisure, research and fishing. This chapter also introduces the environmental impacts related to ship operations. Ship transportation has increased tremendously since the industrial revolution, which has resulted in increased emissions due to shipping and increased stresses on the environment. However, this trend is not only related to shipping. Currently, there are several warning signs that we are not taking care of the Earth and its ecosystem in a sustainable manner, that the Earth’s ecosystems are degrading and that natural capital is being exploited, e.g., by the burning of fossil fuels. The marine industry is a component of our society; similar to all industry sectors, it contributes to unsustainable patterns in our society. Although the marine industry is a contributor to these problems, it can also be part of the solution, yet several challenges must be addressed. Sustainability and related concepts, such as ecosystem services, planetary boundaries and resilience thinking, could be used as guidance in addressing these challenges.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Hydrocarbons are compounds consisting of hydrogen and carbon; the term volatile organic carbons (VOCs) is also used. VOCs are formally defined as organic compounds with boiling points between 50 and 260 °C [35]. It is also common to separate VOCs into methane and non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs).

  2. 2.

    The smallest particles are considered to be most harmful to humans [38].

  3. 3.

    The boil-off gas is the vapour created due to the ambient heat input (while maintaining constant pressure in the storage of cryogenics).

  4. 4.

    The terms residual fuels and HFO are used interchangeably in this book.

  5. 5.

    The term alternative fuels is used in this book to describe fuels that are alternatives to HFO in shipping. The term is occasionally used elsewhere as a synonym for renewable fuels.

  6. 6.

    Arctic navigation is closely associated with a highly specific design because navigating through ice and extreme weather conditions requires specific measures and equipment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shipping and Marine Technology, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Karin Andersson, Francesco Baldi, Selma Brynolf, J. Fredrik Lindgren & Lena Granhag

  2. Gothenburg, Sweden

    Erik Svensson

Authors
  1. Karin Andersson
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  2. Francesco Baldi
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  3. Selma Brynolf
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  4. J. Fredrik Lindgren
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  5. Lena Granhag
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  6. Erik Svensson
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Correspondence to Karin Andersson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Shipping and Marine Technology, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, Sweden

    Karin Andersson

  2. Shipping and Marine Technology, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, Sweden

    Selma Brynolf

  3. Shipping and Marine Technology, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, Sweden

    J. Fredrik Lindgren

  4. Shipping and Marine Technology, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, Sweden

    Magda Wilewska-Bien

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Andersson, K., Baldi, F., Brynolf, S., Lindgren, J.F., Granhag, L., Svensson, E. (2016). Shipping and the Environment. In: Andersson, K., Brynolf, S., Lindgren, J., Wilewska-Bien, M. (eds) Shipping and the Environment . Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-49045-7_1

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